Metastatic Cancer Surgery

Majority of the primary cancerous tumors are treated with surgical method. It is one of the best techniques to remove the cancer cells from the body. The underlying principle for this attempt is simple; removing the cancer cells from the root is the solution to cure the cancer completely. Usually, metastatic cancer surgery is used in very rare cases; when the cancer has not spread at a large extent i.e. when it has spread into the adjoining lymph nodes or body parts from where it can be removed through surgery.

In many cases, metastatic cancer recurrence after surgery has took place due to the incomplete detection and removal of the cancer cells. In the metastatic stage, the cancer gets spread into the distant lymph nodes as well as distant organs. Detecting the cancer cells and removing them from each body part where they have spread is difficult. Metastatic cancer recurrence is more serious issue than the primary cancer tumor. In fact, most of the cases become more fatal due to the metastatic recurrence instead of the primary tumor.

How surgery increases the possibilities cancer metastases?

It might be a shocking irony, but yes, as per the scientific evidences, cancer surgery may increase one's possibility of cancer metastasis. In order to understand this fact in a better way, understanding the process of cancer metastasis is essential. In metastasis, isolated cancer cells get broken from the primary tumor which immediately breaches the connective tissue adjoining the original cancer site. Once the cancer cells break out from the tumor, they start entering into the lymphatic system as well as the bloodstream of the patient. During cancer metastasis, bloodstream works as a major media to transfer the cancer cells from the original site to the different organs such as the brain, liver, lungs or any place where a new deadly cancer cell may develop.

As per some studies, it was analyzed that women who had undergone cancer surgery has a spike in their possibility of death before eight years, which was not evident for a group of women who had not had the surgery. There are certain interpretations which have scientific hypothesis to explain the patterns, that removal of cancer through surgery accelerates the process of metastasis.

Surgery alters the natural course of the cancer

Converse to the statement that surgery increases one's possibility of cancer metastasis, one group of researchers commented that surgical treatment can help to alter the natural course of cancer by increasing the metastatic cancer life expectancy in greater part of people, while decreasing the metastasis survival rate among a smaller subset of people. Thus, both clinical and experimental evidence revealed that although surgery works great in reducing the tumor mass to cure the patient, paradoxically it also augments the cancer metastasis.

Facts allied with metastatic cancer surgery

Removal of cancer through surgery typically increases the possibilities of disease free survival.

An evidence of growing body suggests that metastatic cancer surgery itself may enhance one's risk of cancer spread into distant areas (metastasis) through various mechanisms such as suppressing immunity process, augmenting the adhesion of cancer cells, stimulating of inflammation and encouraging angiogenesis.

Since metastatic cancer is more fatal than the original tumor, utilizing the preventive cautions can be a useful step to prevent metastasis.

There are certain drugs, nutrients, surgical methods, medicines and types of anesthesia that are linked with reduced possibility of cancer metastasis.

Steps to cope with or defeat the cancer metastasis involves increasing the surveillance of immunity, stimulating immune health, combating the adhesion of cancer cells in different organs, reducing inflammation, restraining angiogenesis and opting for the expert surgeons and anesthesiologists who employs advanced technology to minimize the risk of cancer metastasis.

By considering all the facts, it can be said that following certain preventive measures can be helpful to avoid the risk of cancer spread or recurrence during the metastatic cancer surgery. Surgery helps to remove the cancer cells from the roots.